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Vascular epiphytes and host trees of ant-gardens in an anthropic landscape in southeastern Mexico

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Abstract

Ant-gardens (AGs) are considered one of the most complex mutualist systems between ants and plants, since interactions involving dispersal, protection, and nutrition occur simultaneously in them; however, little is known about the effects of the transformation of ecosystems on their diversity and interactions. In five environments with different land use within an anthropic landscape in southeastern Mexico, we investigated the diversity and composition of epiphytes and host trees of AGs built by Azteca gnava. A total of 10,871 individuals of 26 epiphytic species, associating with 859 AGs located in 161 host trees, were recorded. The diversity and composition of epiphytes tended to be different between environments; however, Aechmea tillandsioides and Codonanthe uleana were the most important species and considered true AG epiphytes, because they were the most frequent, abundant, and occurred exclusively in AGs. Other important species were the orchids Epidendrum flexuosum, Coryanthes picturata, and Epidendrum pachyrachis, and should also be considered true AG epiphytes, because they occurred almost exclusively in the AGs. The AG abundance in agroforestry plantations was similar or even greater than in riparian vegetation (natural habitat). The AGs were registered in 37 host species but were more frequent in Mangifera indica and Citrus sinensis. We conclude that true epiphytes of A. gnava AGs persist in different environments and host trees, and even these AGs could proliferate in agroforestry plantations of anthropic landscapes.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Thomas Castellanos Gómez and Darvelio Alvarado Gómez for the assistance in the field, and to Luis Quiróz Robledo, Gibrán Pérez, and Dora L. Martínez Tlapa for their support in the identification and assembly of the ants. We also thank to Michelle Ramos Robles and Rosario Landgrave Ramírez for their support to elaborate Fig. 1, and to Miguel Á. García Martínez for his comments on the analysis of similarity of species. María E. Sánchez Salazar contributed with the English translation of the manuscript. The first author was supported by a CONACYT fellowship (No. 250340) and INECOL (20030-10144). We also appreciate the suggestions made to the manuscript by four anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Antigua Carretera a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, VER, Mexico

    Jonas Morales-Linares, José G. García-Franco & Jorge E. Valenzuela-González

  2. Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, 62209, Cuernavaca, MOR, Mexico

    Alejandro Flores-Palacios

  3. Red Manejo Biotecnológico de Recursos, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Antigua Carretera a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, VER, Mexico

    Martín Mata-Rosas

  4. Red de Interacciones Multifróficas, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Antigua Carretera a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, VER, Mexico

    Cecilia Díaz-Castelazo

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  1. Jonas Morales-Linares
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Correspondence to Jonas Morales-Linares.

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Communicated by: Alain Dejean

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Morales-Linares, J., García-Franco, J.G., Flores-Palacios, A. et al. Vascular epiphytes and host trees of ant-gardens in an anthropic landscape in southeastern Mexico. Sci Nat 103, 96 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-016-1421-9

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